Support the fighter

Sherri Howell, affectionately known as the "mail lady" for her many years working as a city mail carrier in Madison, has been diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer after a Jan. 11 surgery revealed four lymph nodes, which tested positive for cancer. A chicken lunch and dinner fundraiser is scheduled for Friday, May 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Four Freedoms Park. The $8 plates will feature chicken and rice, green beans, a roll, and dessert. All proceeds will help cover the medical expenses involved in Howell's treatment and recovery.

Howell underwent surgery on Jan. 11 when four lymph nodes were removed after testing positive for cancer. Possibly four more affected lymph nodes were detected on Monday, Feb. 5. Howell has undergone six chemotherapy treatments since then, with more to follow. Howell is scheduled for what she hopes will be her final surgery this summer, at Moffitt Cancer Center, in Tampa.

Howell has been a resident of Madison since marrying her husband, Keith, almost 30 years ago. Howell is an active member of Hopewell Baptist Church. Even though her chemotherapy treatments create four or five days of sickness and fatigue following each treatment, Howell remains upbeat. "The prayers of friends and family have sustained me, and I am at complete peace about the situation," said Howell. The Howells have three children: Dara Ward, Taylor Howell, and Kyler Howell.